THE DIARIES OF PAUL K LYONS - 1999
Adam and I went to the Sierra Nevada, Spain, in April, staying in Rosy and Andrew’s house, and enjoyed a couple of days skiing as well as a bull fight. In May, Adam took part in the Elstead Paper Boat Race (an annual event organised by a small committee including myself) winning best design with Yellow Shark Machine. In July I took Adam with me to Brussels to help with moving apartments (EC Inform’s Brussels base), and, in August, we drove to Devon, with Colin and his daughter Elisabeth, for the solar eclipse.
During the first half of the year, I made a determined effort to find an agent or publisher for a novel I’d finally completed: ‘Begotten, Loss, Recovery’, or BLR.
This year also saw my little company EC Inform rise to its zenith - but very quickly collapse. After much consideration, I employed a second person to help launch an EC health newsletter; but, my mistake, she wasn’t up for the task, and I had to let her go after a two week trial period. By the end of the year, I’d also lost Theo, and been unable to find anyone to replace him. Through the year, I’d asked him to draft chapters for an EC transport policy book. Once he’d left, I worked night and day to finish the writing, and produce it to schedule, to be ready for printing before the end of the year. In consequence, my diary suffered badly, with only single short entries in November and December.
As the millennium drew to a close, much of world was holding its breath, metaphorically speaking, in case the so-called Y2K bug caused massive computer problems. Nevertheless, I was determined to make millennium eve special for Adam and myself - hence The Day of the Thousand Handshakes. (Diaries 60, 61)
Paul K. Lyons (November 2017)